Chapter 169: New Troubles

Seeing Tuke Tuke Siluo's ferocity, the soldiers behind Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt their spirits soar.

Are you people qualified to slander Shang Mu's Black-faced Yama?

You seek death!

Watching his blood-dripping blade, the two thousand Dongping City Defense soldiers, each with a sword at their waist, retreated one step in unison.

Seeing no one advance, Tuke Tuke Siluo leaped, thrusting his blade straight at Lu Kai, who had just insulted him.

Graceful as a startled goose, agile as a swimming dragon.

By the time the yellow-faced Lu Kai reacted, Tuke Tuke Siluo's blade was already a zhang away from him.

Lu Kai's cold sweat broke out instantly; while whipping his horse to flee, he also shouted with his neck stretched out.

"Back to Huicheng, run, run..."

Before the remaining word could be spoken, his shrill, grating voice cut off abruptly.

Suddenly lowering his head, Lu Kai, whose pupils were gradually dilating, saw the bloodied tip of a blade piercing his chest.

At the very instant he was about to draw his last breath, Tuke Tuke Siluo violently twisted the long sword in his hand, turning Lu Kai's body into a pile of minced meat.

The horrific scene instantly stunned all the Dongping City Defense soldiers; silence fell beneath the entire city gate, so profound that a pin dropped could be heard.

Seeing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu seized the moment and shouted loudly.

"Soldiers, charge into Dongping, kill!"

With his single command, the two thousand Shang Mu soldiers immediately rushed fiercely toward the Dongping city gate.

Seeing that Jiang Jiang Mingyu was about to take Dongping, a Hundred-Commander among the City Defense soldiers suddenly drew his sword from its sheath.

"Brothers, with him..."

Before the rest of his words could be shouted out, his head, flying through the air, saw his own headless corpse on the ground.

At the moment consciousness left him, he also silently cried out one phrase.

"What a fast blade!"

Having just erased another life, Tuke Tuke Siluo's tone was icy, seemingly having reached the freezing point.

"Drop your weapons, or die."

Under the sweep of his chilling gaze, the Dongping City Defense soldiers, who had been silent for a long time, slowly put down all their weapons.

Although Tuke Tuke Siluo could not kill two thousand men alone, no one wanted to be the first to test the edge of his blade.

Moreover, the two thousand Shang Mu soldiers of Jiang Jiang Mingyu were watching quietly there.

Seeing that everyone had put down their weapons, Jiang Jiang Mingyu then spoke to Tuke Tuke Siluo.

"Disband these two thousand men and integrate them with our army; anyone who makes a move will be executed without exception, showing no mercy."

Saying this, he swept his wide sleeve.

"Enter the city."

The common people on the streets had long since hidden themselves somewhere, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu did not care about these matters, heading straight for the Dongping County Yamen.

One quarter-hour later, at the Dongping County Yamen.

Looking at the various thick ledgers on the desk before him, Jiang Jiang Mingyu issued a decisive order.

"Open the treasury; except for necessary Dongping expenditures, take everything else back to Tu Tu Kesiluo, the Regional Military Commissioner, to serve as military supplies."

Just as he was surveying the surroundings, a soldier sent to search suddenly rushed in.

"My lord, it is bad news; the great seal of Dongping County is missing."

What, the great seal is missing? Jiang Jiang Mingyu was instantly startled.

"Have you searched everywhere?"

Although he had rebelled, he had not yet established his own court; without a great seal, how could he govern civil administration?

This era was not like before his transmigration; the profession of privately carving seals did not yet exist.

The soldier who was nodding had not yet spoken when a report suddenly came from outside the door.

"My lord, there is someone outside claiming to be Lu Kai's secretary, holding the county's great seal, and requesting an audience at the door."

Secretly thinking it somewhat interesting, Jiang Jiang Mingyu curled the corners of his mouth and spoke.

"Let him in."

Immediately, a tall, thin man with three long whiskers knelt before Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

"This humble one, Shen Shen Yulong, pays respects to... my lord Jiang."

After thinking for a long time and finding no suitable title, he could only address Jiang Jiang Mingyu as "my lord."

Seeing the great seal in his hand, while feeling relieved, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but ask.

"You are Lu Kai's secretary, are you not? Why is the county's great seal in your hands?"

Shen Shen Yulong lowered his head and spoke respectfully.

"This humble one is indeed the secretary of the Magistrate... Lu Kai; the great seal has always been in this humble one's possession."

"Lu Kai did not know right from wrong and dared to resist your great army; he deserved his own destruction."

"This humble one knows that my lord Jiang has a boundless future, and also knows that my lord needs this object, so I am holding the great seal to come and offer my service."

While nodding, Jiang Jiang Mingyu also secretly smiled; knowing Jiang Mou's thoughts, this Shen Shen Yulong was indeed a clever man.

After letting Shen Shen Yulong stand up, Jiang Jiang Mingyu continued.

"Secretary Shen is thoughtful; Jiang Mou will not decline your kindness. Since you are Lu Kai's secretary, you must be very familiar with Dongping, correct?"

Having accepted the great seal, he turned a kind smile toward Shen Shen Yulong.

Shen Shen Yulong smiled.

"This humble one has followed Lu Kai for three years; I am intimately familiar with every blade of grass and tree in Dongping."

"Whatever my lord wishes, just give the order; this humble one will certainly speak without holding anything back."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu found a chair and sat down, speaking in a leisurely manner.

"I have no orders to give, but since you came to submit voluntarily and are a smart person, Jiang Mou wishes to temporarily entrust Dongping to you."

"To put it simply, from today on, you are the Magistrate of Dongping."

What?

Shen Shen Yulong thought he had misheard and hurriedly asked.

"My Lord, is this truly the case?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's smile remained very calm.

"Jiang Mou likes smart people, and even more so those who know the times, which is why I am entrusting Dongping to you."

"But you must also remember: my two thousand soldiers will be stationed in the city; if you make even the slightest move, I will not spare you."

These words were almost identical to the warning he had given Song Jue that day.

It was still the same old story: with no one available to use at the moment, he could only combine kindness and severity to slowly cultivate his own power.

Shen Shen Yulong nodded hurriedly, then immediately fell to his knees with a thud.

"Thank you, My Lord. Thank you, My Lord."

Before Jiang Jiang Mingyu could say anything else, a soldier suddenly rushed in from the heavy snow outside, full of tension.

"My Lord, grave news!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, frowning slightly, asked in a bad mood.

"What's so grave? Has Ruan Chen broken into the Yasmu Regional Military Commissionerate?"

His mood having been spoiled, his words clearly carried a tone of contrarianism.

The entire Yasmu Regional Military Commissionerate was about to fall into Jiang Mou's hands; Ruan Chen hadn't even arrived yet, so what grave matter could possibly arise, Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought to himself.

But the soldier who had come in such a hurry seemed even more anxious.

"My Lord, Captain Zhou Xun of Luosie City has led four thousand troops and besieged Dongping."

What?

Luosie City, Zhou Xun—Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately furrowed his brows.

"What is going on? Speak clearly."

Meeting his shocked gaze, the soldier said with a bitter face.

"Your subordinate does not know what is going on; the troops from Luosie City seemed to have fallen from the sky."

"With heavy snow falling outside, the brothers guarding the city hadn't even reacted; as soon as we entered the city gate, we were surrounded."

"General Tu has already rushed over with men. My Lord, do you wish to go and take a look as well?"

How could Jiang Jiang Mingyu possibly not go and take a look at such a matter?

First, he needed to figure out the situation; second, he feared that Tu Tu Kesiluo, who lacked strategy, might suffer at the hands of that Zhou Xun.

After telling the equally nervous Shen Shen Yulong that it would be fine to leave, Jiang Jiang Mingyu rushed out the door.

Although the enemy had only four thousand troops, in an instant, Jiang Jiang Mingyu saw the severity of the situation.

They had just seized Dongping and hadn't yet stabilized the situation when the troops from Luosie City attacked.

The most critical point was that he had just incorporated those two thousand city defense soldiers of Dongping, who had surrendered only out of necessity.

Once hostilities resumed, perhaps those city defense soldiers would strike him hard from behind.

Lu Kai had operated in Dongping for many years; Jiang Jiang Mingyu simply didn't believe that such a large city defense camp didn't have a single person loyal to him.

There was another point, the one he found most incomprehensible: how could the troops from Luosie City suddenly appear here?

Coincidence was absolutely impossible; had the Inspector of Luosie City, Liu Biao, also taken the path currently most popular in Great Feng and rebelled?

Riding on horseback, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had not yet figured out exactly what was happening when the shouting and cursing outside the city gate flew over with the cold wind.